Senator To Stop Sale of Pets From "Puppy Mills"

Avenel, NJ -- Just days after a long-troubled pet store in Avenel was raided by the state and shut down Christmas Eve, State Senator Raymond Lesniak announced he will introduce a bill in the new year to prohibit the sale of pets from “puppy mills” in New Jersey.

Authorities said the owner of Fancy Pups, Rocco Garruto Jr. from Bridgewater, attempted to illegally sell dogs and investigations showed he knowingly sold sick puppies.

“These puppy mills have gained a notorious reputation for putting profits ahead of the humane treatment of dogs and cats,” said Lesniak, a Democrat who serves Union County. “Their mass breeding has created inbred health and behavioral problems and the inhumane conditions have left too many of these pets to suffer from neglect and mistreatment.”

Lesniak’s bill, S-63, was pre-filed yesterday, Dec. 29, for official introduction in the 2016 legislative session.

The bill would prohibit the sale of dogs and cats unless the transaction is conducted in person. The legislation would also prohibit pet shops from selling dogs and cats from puppy mills and kitten mills, but would allow the sale of pets from animal shelters, pounds, kennels and animal rescue organizations.

The measure effectively bans the sale of inhumane puppy and kitten mill animals in New Jersey, both over the internet and in pet shops. The bill establishes a penalty of $500 for each violation, in addition to other penalties that may be imposed pursuant to the state consumer fraud law.

“The passage of this bill will ensure that New Jersey residents acquire pets from humane, honest sources, such as shelters, rescues and responsible breeders who already sell their puppies and kittens face-to-face,” said Kathleen Schatzmann, senior state director for The Humane Society of the United States in a release.

Lesniak had already been working on the bill but decided to announce it now after news of Garruto’s arrest and treatment of animals at his store.

Fancy Pups shutdown

Garruto’s arrest was not the only negative headline for Fancy Pups: The pet store has been shut down before, and Garruto claims he’s been the subject ofphone threats from animal activists after investigations he knowingly sold sick puppies.

Garruto, 63, was arrested Sunday, Dec. 27 by the Woodbridge Police in front of his garage, Crystal Auto Sales, on St. Georges Avenue. When he was arrested, he had one puppy and two dogs with him, police said. This was in violation of a Dec. 24 restraining order that prevented him from selling, transporting, and holding animals, township officials said.

That restraining order was served Christmas Eve as part of a raid at Fancy Pups by the state SPCA, Woodbridge Animal Control and township police. Ten dogs were removed from the shop: Two went to a Boxer rescue, and eight to the Woodbridge Animal Shelter, where they are currently. All of them needed to be quarantined and were treated for illness/parasites, including giardia, said Dennis Green, the Woodbridge Director of Health and Human Services.

However, Garruto was able to get away with three dogs, which he took with him to his nearby auto body shop. When they were found on Sunday, those three dogs also needed to be treated for malnutrition, Green said.

Garruto, who lives in Bridgewater, N.J., posted his $2,500 bail and was released Sunday. Fancy Pups will remain closed through Dec. 30. That’s the date Garruto is due in court for his restraining order violation.

Puppies near urine and feces

The state raided Fancy Pups on Dec. 24 because it says Garruto had violated a prior voluntary agreement not to sell any more animals until they were cleared by a vet. Garruto made the promise after a Dec. 8 inspection by the SPCA and local Animal Control. When they inspected Fancy Pups on Dec. 8, Animal Control officers found puppies in direct contact with urine- and excrement-soaked newspaper, they said. The dogs did not have water, officials said, and three of the animals looked sick, including two lab puppies that looked like they had worms, officers said.

Garruto has admitted in the past to selling puppies that later became very sick and died. One Fancy Pups customer, who asked that she not be named in the story, said her 8-week-old German Shepherd puppy died just days after she brought the pooch home.

In 2012, Garruto pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud for knowingly selling sick puppies and then refusing to pay the veterinarian bills. He then later declared himself ”a puppy lover.”

“I love the puppy business. I love the puppies. It’s just my thing,” Garruto said.

He said that several Woodbridge policemen and elected officials bought puppies at his store and they’ve all been satisfied.

(Photo, Senator Raymond J. Lesniak)